Over the NBA's history, no two teams have been more clearly linked than our beloved Los Angeles Lakers and tonight's opponent, the Boston Celtics. On the one hand, it makes perfect sense, since the two teams have far and away the two most cherished histories in the game. But, on the other hand, what has been truly stunning is not how consistently good these two franchises have been, but how consistently these two franchises have seemed to peak at the same time. It happened in the 50s and 60s, when the Lakers were routinely 2nd best to Boston's Bill Russell-led juggernaut. It happened again in the 80s, when Bird and Magic grappled for supremacy. And it's happened again ... since 2008, the Celtics and Lakers have once again been at or near the top of the heap. For 60+ years, the timelines of these franchises have been interwoven.

But we all know the storied history. It's what makes this match-up one of best rivalries in sports. It's what makes Celtics vs. Lakers so much fun, even if this particular game, in the midst of a packed regular season, means absolutely nothing when compared with the droves of games which have been played between these two teams at higher stakes. Instead, it is the other way in which these squads are partners in time that lends a bit of intrigue to tonight's contest. Both squads seem to be just past their prime, and have struggled so far this season to maintain their grip on the elite status they've enjoyed the past few seasons.

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Until the 76ers are eliminated from the 2012 playoffs, the hoops community will debate whether they're "for real." That's what happens to teams who improve radically year over year without signing LeBron James or trading for Kevin Garnett. After putzing around with win totals in the high thirties and low forties pretty much since they lost to the Lakers in the 2001 Finals, the Sixers (the Lakers' hosts tonight in an early game tipping at 4:00 p.m. Pacific) are suddenly the arriviste power in the East. Their 17-7 record is fourth best in the league, and they outscore opponents by an average of over 10 points a game. Just last week they piled up W's over the Magic, Bulls and Hawks. All this despite no major changes to last year's roster. Impressive, impressive.

The explanation is dramatic only in its dullness. The Sixers have made healthy jumps on both sides of the floor, improving from 17th in offensive efficiency last season to seventh now and from seventh to first on D. Yes, that's first as in league best. Doug Collins has shaped a defense that forces more misses than anyone and takes pretty good care of the defensive glass. They're young and rangy and especially very deep. Their top nine guys in minutes played are all legit contributors. Not a worthless lump among them, which is obviously a fugitive concept for Laker fans used to wondering whether a three-man lineup of just Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol might work best.

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The Lakers continue on their annual Grammy road trip tonight as they take on the surprisingly good Utah Jazz. After beginning the season losing seven of eight road games, the Lakers are now looking to make it three straight wins while donning their Forum Blue threads. The Lakers kicked off their road trip with a win in Denver last night, led by the first year all-star Andrew Bynum’s 22 points and 10 rebounds. Bynum was a big reason for the Lakers' win at Utah earlier this season as he provided a crucial block on Al Jefferson in the final moments of a one-possession game. Tonight’s game won’t be easy, especially if Jazz forward Paul Millsap has anything to say about.

Millsap has been playing at an incredibly high level in this shortened season. He is currently averaging a career high in points per game (16.9), while shooting efficiently from the field (52%) and the line (career high of 78%). He is also grabbing 9.3 rebounds per game (career high) and 1.6 steals (another career high) all while having a career low in turnover rate despite carrying a larger share the offensive load than ever before. This has culminated in the recognition of him as a MVP candidate on ESPN’s top 10 list last week. While his status as an MVP candidate is something of a stretch, the Jazz's status as a playoff team is not. Despite the loss of coach Jerry Sloan, the trade of franchise player Deron Williams, and the subsequent downward spiral at the end of last season, the Jazz have recovered and firmly established themselves as playoff contenders in a very deep Western conference on the big shoulders of Millsap.

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The Lakers return home tonight, after splitting a pair of games on a quick road trip through the upper Midwest, and face a Charlotte Bobcats team that has historically proven to be a feisty competitor. The Lakers are only 3-8 in their last eleven meetings against the Bobcats. This is somewhat surprising since only once have the Bobcats made the playoffs (2009-10 when they went 44-38), while the Lakers have won two championships and been a perennial contender during much of that span. The Bobcats have consistently punched well above their weight when facing the Lakers, even in Staples Center, and have successfully knocked out the heavyweight Lakers more times than not. Tonight the 3-16 Bobcats will try to pull off that feat again against the 12-9 Lakers.

The Bobcats enter tonight’s contest having lost eight straight. They have been riddled with injuries recently, including missing five players in their recent loss to the Washington Wizards. Two of the players out with injuries were their leading scorers, Gerald Henderson and D.J. Augustin. Despite being shorthanded, the Bobcats fought hard and, led by rookie Kemba Walker’s triple-double, nearly pulled out the victory. Henderson is expected to return tonight, along with D.J. White and Reggie Williams, giving the Bobcats some much needed help with which to take on the Lakers.

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It's strange to contemplate but nonetheless true: at this odd moment in history, the Minnesota Timberwolves might command more respect around the NBA than the Los Angeles Lakers. They might, is what I'm saying. At the very least, the trajectories of the two organizations are converging. Long handicapped by bad management and a location that makes them repellent to free agents, the Timberwolves have drafted and developed their way to apparent respectability. Perhaps that's just what happens when you're terrible and picking in the top six every year, but they've made some nice little roster moves to surround their lottery talent with quality role players, and they were (eventually) smart enough to ditch Kurt Rambis in favor of Rick Adelman. The man many Laker fans hoped would become the next coach of the purple and gold has the Wolves playing surprisingly adequate ball. We're none of us hearing or making so many David Kahn jokes these days.

The Lakers, meanwhile, are struggling to avoid an existential crisis. Their loss to the Milwaukee Bucks last night was a low point of the season, though one suspects it won't ultimately qualify as the low point. They've lost four straight on the road. The offense is bad, yes, but all the talk of their failing to hit 100 points has occluded how badly the defense has slipped. For a couple weeks now opponents have been taking apart the much-hyped Mike Brown D. A Bucks team on the tail end of a back-to-back and playing without Andrew Bogut had no problem whatsoever scoring on the Lake Show. The record is creeping down toward 0.500. You get the sense the Lakers need to stabilize things fast, or the season could spiral beyond the point of rescue.

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Two seasons ago the Milwaukee Bucks were mired in mediocrity and on their way to another disappointing season. With a record of 24-28, it would appear that they would yet again fail to make the playoffs in an Eastern Conference not known for setting a high bar for entrance into the post season. Under coach Scott Skiles they had an elite defense (finished 2nd in the league in defensive efficiency), but the offense was anemic. Then on February 18th they pulled of a trade with the Chicago Bulls which brought wingman John Salmons to Milwaukee. After Salmons' arrival, the Bucks won 12 of their next 13 games, their lone loss coming in overtime in Atlanta. It was at this point that the "Fear the Deer" campaign was born. The Bucks surged to a 22-8 finish and took that same Atlanta team to a seventh game in the opening round of the playoffs.

The next season was supposed to be promising. Their young stud point guard Brandon Jennings would have another year under his belt, they re-signed Salmons to a long term deal, and they acquired Corey Maggette-- who is known for getting to the free throw line – to help the team with the worst free-throw-to-field-goal-attempt ratio in the league. These moves had some experts picking them to win the Central division. But things don’t always turn out as planned. Salmons struggled as his scoring average fell from 20 points per game to 14, Jennings quickly became an inefficient scoring point guard, and Maggette suddenly couldn’t find his way to the free throw line. The Bucks limped to a 35-47 record and missed the playoffs. There was no longer a reason to "Fear the Deer".

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There's been a lot of talk about the renewed rivalry between Los Angeles' two teams. The talk makes sense on a gut level. The Los Angeles Clippers have ascended from perennial bottom feeder to one of the league's most promising teams behind two of the most exciting young stars in the game, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. That ascension came after Chris Paul was signed, sealed, and delivered to the Los Angeles Lakers, before David Stern forever altered the landscape of the NBA by nixing the trade approved by his New Orleans underlings. Since that moment, the Clippers and Lakers have played three times, and the Clippers have won all three (though two were lowly preseason games). Add in some rising hostility between the two teams, courtesy of mean-mugging Blake Griffin and hot-headed Matt Barnes, and you have almost all the boxes checked.

Almost ... but not quite. What is lacking is that inestimable quality, a history of back and forth games that (and here's the important part) actually matter. Regular season games just aren't enough, not on their own, not in basketball, to create a rivalry. The teams sharing a gym isn't enough easier. On the surface, it walks like a rivalry and talks like a rivalry, but this is the rare occurence where the old duck analogy just doesn't fit the bill. Instead, what you really have is a cat-fight between the established diva, and the up-and-comer nipping at her heels. You know what's missing from the equation? Respect. The Clippers haven't done enough yet to earn the Lakers' respect, and they are young enough and brash enough to disregard giving any to the Lakers.

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The Los Angeles Lakers always have stars. From Magic to Kobe, West to Shaq, there's always someone donning the purple and gold uniform who catches the eye of casual fans around the country. It's a surefire strategy too, having one of these world beaters on your roster, as evidenced by the fact that the Lakers have missed the playoffs only five times in their existence. That star power has led the Lakers down the road they find themselves on today, with a roster which is so top heavy, and everything else lite, that they are finding it difficult not to tip onto their own faces.

The Indiana Pacers have chosen a different path. Right now, the path they've chosen is looking pretty good. Indiana doesn't have a single star on their roster. They've got a couple All-Stars, but David West and Danny Granger have always been the lower echelon of that title, closer to Mo Williams than to LeBron James. Neither is a player you could consider good enough to build a team around. But, put them both on the same roster, add a promising hulk of a center in Roy Hibbert, splash in a couple point guards who were impressive in backup roles prior to coming to the Pacers, and you've got the makeup of a pretty good team. If this season's fast start is any indication, the Pacers might have themselves a real good team.

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